City council concerned over mayor’s absence

Passes another unanimous resolution demanding Wasim Akhtar's presence

KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's (KMC) City Council, in its second session, adopted another unanimous resolution expressing 'serious concerns' over the Sindh government's inability to produce from jail mayor Wasim Akhtar to attend the proceedings.

In the absence of the mayor, the session was presided over by deputy mayor Arshad Vohra on Monday at the old KMC building. The attendance was far lower than the inaugural session of the council with around 266 members in attendance out of 320.

The resolution demanded the authorities to ensure Akhtar's presence in the council's sessions after completing all legal procedures.

Responding to the resolution, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Firdous Shamim Naqvi

asked "If Akhtar could be brought once for the oath-taking ceremony, why can't he be brought again and again for the council's sessions."

To this, Vohra explained that the KMC's metropolitan commissioner, Badar Jameel, has already written a letter to the jail authorities and the court has issued a no-objection certificate regarding Akhtar's production at the sessions. "The Sindh home department, for unknown reasons, is not giving permission [to produce Akhtar from jail]," the deputy mayor claimed.

New hall

Another resolution passed by the council called for the construction of a new city council hall as the present one is not spacious enough.

The Sindh government, instead of constructing a new building for the city council, renovated the old hall to accommodate the newly-elected local government members.

NADRA office

According to the chairman of union committee (UC) 34, Zahid Mehmood, the only National Database and Registration Authority's (NADRA) office in Baldia Town is being moved to Orangi Town. He pointed out that there were two NADRA offices in Baldia Town, one of which was already shut down two years back. Mehmood tabled a resolution demanding NADRA officials not to relocate Baldia Town's only office, and rather upgrade it with more facilities. The resolution was unanimously passed with an addition that the closed offices of NADRA in Baldia Town should be made functional again.

OZT tax

The city council, through a resolution, also demanded the Sindh government to give Rs0.5 million to UCs every month as part of the Octroi Zila Tax (OZT) so the UCs could perform their duties effectively.

According to the resolution, the UCs used to get Rs0.2 million earlier as part of the OZT from which they disbursed salaries to their staff. Now, when the salaries of the UC staff have been increased, the amount of the OZT has been reduced to half.

Another resolution was passed in favour of the armed forces and against the Indian army's aggression and atrocities in Kashmir.

Sans opposition leader

The second session of the city council also concluded without the election of any opposition leader. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's Amanullah Afridi told The Express Tribune that a few PTI members are not in the city and that is why they could not nominate an opposition leader.

He said the opposition leader would be from the PPP, as they are in a majority and the deputy opposition leader will be from the PML-N. According to him, opposition parties will not go for an election for the nomination of the opposition leader, but would select one with mutual understanding before the next session, which will now be held after the 10th of Muharram.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2016.